Another recall for Prius and other Toyotas

While that seems like a big deal, the whole thing equates to some inaccurate "max load" stickers after options were installed on the cars that were being prepped for customers.

I noticed a similar recall when they needed to change something on the 2017 Prius Prime. It changed the max load by only 2 pounds, but the recall was not complete until the sticker showed the updated max load.

I don't recall ever doing anything with that car that might have been impacted by that extra pound or two of cargo.

 

It is a legal requirement for the load sticker to account for the port installed accessories. The potential harm to consumers is far, far from forgetting a package of cookies was made in a plant that handles peanuts. There isn't even a hassle cost for the owner. They will get the updated sticker in the mail, and then take a minute to apply it next time they go out.

 

Seems even less important than the floor mat/ gas pedal nonsense

 

I believe this recall is limited to the southeast region that's serviced by Gulf States Toyota(Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, & Mississippi).

If anyone is curious about the details:

So when a car arrives at its port and/or dealer, usually options are added. Floor mats, body moldings, dashcams, hitches, etc. All those options add weight to the car and need to be subtracted from the max load number printed on the sticker in the driver door jam. All the different parts and their weights are stored into a computer program. A tech enters the original max load, clicks all the boxes of the installed options, and the printer spits out a sticker with the new max weight. (I'm sure this process is as automated as it can possibly be, so there's probably no actual inputting of the options by the tech, but whatever.)

The problem that caused this recall is in the computer program that calculated the weights of the options. I don't know if the weights of the options were entered incorrectly, the program didn't add them correctly, or if there were some modifiers that were applied incorrectly, but the computer was printing the wrong max load figures on the stickers. Probably amounts to a pound or two difference in most cases, but it could be more serious in a truck with lots of options that's used regularly for towing/hauling. (And Gulf States Toyota needs to cover their butts.)

As far as I know, if your car came through any other port, its sticker is fine. Different company, different computer program.

 

So just a sticker needed? I think I've gotten a sticker, before, from Toyota for one of our vehicles. I think it was for the Tundra, something about car seat instructions.
It feels like Toyota has had a lot more recalls over the past few years than ever before....might be time to step up their game!

 

Yes, but who would pass up the opportunity to get some free stickers?

 

I vaguely remember having this happen for another car.
Did have to put on a new engine sticker on the Sonic cause it was originally labeled flexfuel. Technically it was, but GM decided to disable that. It's like this recall, the manual and fuel cap said E10 or E15, so it wasn't like the wrong sticker most people never looked at had any bearing on their behavior with the car.

 

In the grand scheme of things, I think this is small potatoes in terms of issues that they need to step up their game for. Also, to my mind, COVID and the immediate post-covid period has done a lot of goofy stuff to the world in a *lot* of ways. So I don't hold it against Toyota - or any company for that matter - anything this small in particular. Hopefully 2020-2024 ends up a blip in the grand scheme of things in terms of overall reliability and quality of nearly everything. Even until the last few weeks with the latest fresh foods season where I live really hitting harvest, the food quality given inflation was absolutely terrible. Everything was going bad so much quicker from the stores, but since late July and August stuff is better. And even my garden is finally putting out food properly.

 

It's a non-issue. A wrong sticker isn't going to cause the car to spontaneously catch on fire. If it was a Ford on the other hand ...